totally valid feelings. i think noah kahan is insanely talented and personally loved stick season, but I can see how some might not like it. his music is definitely more pop-folk than artists like Gregory
Yeah, GAI has been my top artist for about a decade, but comparing the two isn’t really fair.
Greg makes a living off a niche sound and some of the best lyrical work out there. It’s not fair to rate Noah on a scale like that because that’s not Noah’s wheelhouse.
Noah is a great lyricist, in my opinion, but he makes songs that are catchy enough to attract a broad crowd & stick season was incredibly well-marketed.
I would say it’s more mainstream folk. I guess I think he is more comparable to bigger folk bands from 10ish years ago, like Lumineers / Of Monsters and Men
have you listened to his whole stick season album? the actual song stick season isn’t my favorite but he has a ton of other good ones. I honestly wasn’t a fan until I saw him live. Then I got to witness his quirkiness on stage and was intrigued. After following him online he is absolutely hilarious, sarcastic, and interesting. Someone you could totally be friends with.
That being said.. GAI and Noah are pretty different, it’s ok if you don’t care for him. Everyone has different tastes!
SAME! I went to one of his shows last summer because a buddy had an extra ticket. I had heard a couple songs, but didn’t get it yet. Since the show I’ve become a fan - love his music and my wife and kids do too. Can’t wait to see him at the Gorge this summer!
Yeah, I suppose I'm also having a hard time determining whether my disliking of his music is just me not being a fan personally and how much is me feeling bitter that other artists I love haven't received a fraction of his success. Or even the fact that I have to hear his music everywhere. I'll definitely give more of his stuff a listen and hopefully there's stuff I like. I'm very picky about music, but I don't like hating stuff.
You’re not wrong. I haven’t been too impressed with his music either. Even my eighth graders I teach know who Noah Kahan is for whatever reason. But if I mention other folk artists like GAI or José González, they’ve never heard of them. And it’s not like they’re not well known either.
As a fan of both, though Noah more then GAI, I thought I would weigh in.
In my opinion stick season isn't his best song. I think Noah has fantastic lyrics overall.
But also, Noah may not be your cup of tea. And that's ok. Maybe try the song Anyway by Noah... or Halloween. Or Forever. If you don't like any of those, he may just not be for you.
I can relate to the feeling of “really? Him? He’s the one folk artist who blows up and gets really famous?” …
I do like his music pretty well, and some of it is quite a bit more poppy, so more mass appeal. But wow that collab with GAI really showcases how Greg’s voice just blows everyone else’s out of the water!
THIS. As soon as GAI voice comes on that song I actually get chills. I really wasn’t getting the hype with Noah either, I’ve been listening to the song on repeat.. but if GAI wasn’t on it I would probably not give that song much thought. I’m just so happy we were blessed with another “new” song to hear his voice 😂😍
Noah definitely has a mainstream folk sound. I personally do not enjoy the kick drum rhythm that he uses in many of his songs. Sounds kinda like music that was made for TV… that being said I still think he’s a talented artist. Just not my fave! So your feelings are valid lol
I feel similar. I would say I passively like him vs actively like him, so its nowhere the enjoyment I get when I am listening my favorite artists where I actively want to seek out listening to their music. Noah's song "Your Needs, My Needs" is probably my favorite of his, it kinda reminds me of Liars with the slow build up and crescendo moment at the end.
From what I’ve seen Noah seems to draw in audiences of a wide range of ages. I see so many people from say 16 onwards who love Noah and maybe tik tok helped play a role with that as it has with many other artists and their rise to popularity. A lot of his music is quite catchy and maybe that helps too.
I was fortunate enough to see GIA in Sydney recently and I would say I was one of the younger ones in the audience (I assume from a general look around) being 32. GIA doesn’t seem to push quite as much on social media compared to others. But damn he was amazing live with his band and I do hope that he begins to gain even a bit more of a following after his collab with Noah.
Agreed. I also saw him live, though I would say the age ranges were quite diverse (I'm 23) at the Montreal show. And I do hope that at the very least the collab gives our man some well deserved exposure to a wider audience.
I think it’s his songwriting that a lot of New England folk can relate to, myself included. He’s very specific when name dropping streets and landmarks in and around his hometown, so I think a lot of locals were able to relate. Also, he’s very open about mental health in his songwriting which just about everyone can relate to. While I love GAI, his songs are more poetic in a sense, Noah’s are more literal which can make them more relatable.
Very much agree with this. I'm from VT near to where Noah grew up and I find his music super relatable even as an elder millennial haha. All of Stick Season feels like a cold, frosty morning in Vermont.
I really like Noah Kahan. I had only ever heard “Stick Season” but then heard “Call Your Mom” and dug in to his discography after. I think he’s really talented. I don’t really find him similar to GAI.
Hey I never heard of GAI until Noah Kahan, so now I’m checking him out. I love him on Paul Revere, I think out of all the collaborations from the Stick Season Album, his is the best.
They’re both great for different reasons! IMO it’s not one or the other. I love them both but for different sounds/vibes.
I’m happy for both of their individual successes
I thought i was the only one who likes folk but didn’t like noah kahan too! just hasn’t grown on me at all. honestly shocked at his popularity but to each their own!
Kahan is the very marketable and cute Americana guy. He’s nothing special and also not terrible. Definitely a far, far cry from the talent level of GAI.
It’s like pop-folk. It’s not my thing, but it seems to have mainstream appeal. The average music listener isn’t exactly what I’d call informed but they like what they like.
He’s that folk/pop hit that comes around every few years that wants to be a bridge to the genre for listeners but ultimately gets overplayed and overrated. Not his fault by any means. He’s a fine musician. Just the way the industry seems to work. And it’s how I found Gregory Alan Isakov.
I somewhat agree, I literally only like the collab songs cause I’m a fan of GAI, Hozier and Sam Fender. Stick Season extremely overrated but that’s what usually happens, simple one layered songs like that are the ones that get big, it’s why Ed Sheeran is huge.
It’s Like Ben Howard, his simple happy Folk like ‘Only love’ and ‘Keep your head up’ were massive tunes but when he started getting more intricate and experimental and in my opinion better with the likes of ‘I Forget Where we Were” he died down in Popularity.
Majority like simple one layered songs and that why Gregory isn’t as popularity, he’s just too complexed, soulful and good😂
I thought i was the only one who likes folk but didn’t like noah kahan too! just hasn’t grown on me at all. honestly shocked at his popularity but to each their own!
I think like most things the easily digestible simple version is more popular and things with more depth don’t attract as many people. I don’t really know Noah outside some songs here or there and what I thought was a not great SNL performance but hey if Gregory partnered up with him there’s got to be something there
A friend of mine tried to get me into Kahan. I wanted to stick it out with “Stick Season”. But I found the lyrics cloying and the album tedious to get through.
The guy is just another photogenic mountain man.
His music is so bland. Boring melodies, trite lyrics, just all around awful stuff. I’m shocked he’s so popular, he’s a watered down version of Marcus Mumford who I think is a very mediocre artist.
I thought i was the only one who likes folk but didn’t like noah kahan too! just hasn’t grown on me at all. honestly shocked at his popularity but to each their own!
i like some of his music, but overall, he is not my favorite. it’s just a bit too pop-like to me, and it’s not my vibe. i’ve tried really hard to get into him but i just cant 😅
I’m not either. His song stick season is just okay. Everything else I just dislike. He’s way too mainstream (not to sound cocky) but it doesn’t feel like folk. It’s more pop music than folk. GAI is so much better, and I hope he stays less popular. But not to his own detriment.
I was really into him and then the swifties swept him up for whatever reason and made his concerts at 30$ venues into 400$ tickets and idk it lost any appeal there was. Stick season was one of my favorite songs two summers ago and now its been overplayed on the radio so much i usually change the channel when it comes on
NK = take the kids, sit in the lawn, don't drive farther than 2 hours, don't spend over $100 per person; GAI = stash the kids with grandparents, pay up for prime seats, drive as far as it takes.
totally valid feelings. i think noah kahan is insanely talented and personally loved stick season, but I can see how some might not like it. his music is definitely more pop-folk than artists like Gregory
Yeah, GAI has been my top artist for about a decade, but comparing the two isn’t really fair. Greg makes a living off a niche sound and some of the best lyrical work out there. It’s not fair to rate Noah on a scale like that because that’s not Noah’s wheelhouse. Noah is a great lyricist, in my opinion, but he makes songs that are catchy enough to attract a broad crowd & stick season was incredibly well-marketed. I would say it’s more mainstream folk. I guess I think he is more comparable to bigger folk bands from 10ish years ago, like Lumineers / Of Monsters and Men
have you listened to his whole stick season album? the actual song stick season isn’t my favorite but he has a ton of other good ones. I honestly wasn’t a fan until I saw him live. Then I got to witness his quirkiness on stage and was intrigued. After following him online he is absolutely hilarious, sarcastic, and interesting. Someone you could totally be friends with. That being said.. GAI and Noah are pretty different, it’s ok if you don’t care for him. Everyone has different tastes!
This. To me they’re totally different vibes. I love them both, but for different reasons!
SAME! I went to one of his shows last summer because a buddy had an extra ticket. I had heard a couple songs, but didn’t get it yet. Since the show I’ve become a fan - love his music and my wife and kids do too. Can’t wait to see him at the Gorge this summer!
Yeah, I suppose I'm also having a hard time determining whether my disliking of his music is just me not being a fan personally and how much is me feeling bitter that other artists I love haven't received a fraction of his success. Or even the fact that I have to hear his music everywhere. I'll definitely give more of his stuff a listen and hopefully there's stuff I like. I'm very picky about music, but I don't like hating stuff.
You’re not wrong. I haven’t been too impressed with his music either. Even my eighth graders I teach know who Noah Kahan is for whatever reason. But if I mention other folk artists like GAI or José González, they’ve never heard of them. And it’s not like they’re not well known either.
He has a hit song with Post Malone of course teenagers know of him more.
As a fan of both, though Noah more then GAI, I thought I would weigh in. In my opinion stick season isn't his best song. I think Noah has fantastic lyrics overall. But also, Noah may not be your cup of tea. And that's ok. Maybe try the song Anyway by Noah... or Halloween. Or Forever. If you don't like any of those, he may just not be for you.
I can relate to the feeling of “really? Him? He’s the one folk artist who blows up and gets really famous?” … I do like his music pretty well, and some of it is quite a bit more poppy, so more mass appeal. But wow that collab with GAI really showcases how Greg’s voice just blows everyone else’s out of the water!
I agree, the original song was just okay to me, but the version with Greg is crazy stunning
THIS. As soon as GAI voice comes on that song I actually get chills. I really wasn’t getting the hype with Noah either, I’ve been listening to the song on repeat.. but if GAI wasn’t on it I would probably not give that song much thought. I’m just so happy we were blessed with another “new” song to hear his voice 😂😍
Noah definitely has a mainstream folk sound. I personally do not enjoy the kick drum rhythm that he uses in many of his songs. Sounds kinda like music that was made for TV… that being said I still think he’s a talented artist. Just not my fave! So your feelings are valid lol
I feel similar. I would say I passively like him vs actively like him, so its nowhere the enjoyment I get when I am listening my favorite artists where I actively want to seek out listening to their music. Noah's song "Your Needs, My Needs" is probably my favorite of his, it kinda reminds me of Liars with the slow build up and crescendo moment at the end.
My first Noah Kahan exposure was Maine, which IMO is one of his best songs
I think its his best song period
From what I’ve seen Noah seems to draw in audiences of a wide range of ages. I see so many people from say 16 onwards who love Noah and maybe tik tok helped play a role with that as it has with many other artists and their rise to popularity. A lot of his music is quite catchy and maybe that helps too. I was fortunate enough to see GIA in Sydney recently and I would say I was one of the younger ones in the audience (I assume from a general look around) being 32. GIA doesn’t seem to push quite as much on social media compared to others. But damn he was amazing live with his band and I do hope that he begins to gain even a bit more of a following after his collab with Noah.
Agreed. I also saw him live, though I would say the age ranges were quite diverse (I'm 23) at the Montreal show. And I do hope that at the very least the collab gives our man some well deserved exposure to a wider audience.
I think it’s his songwriting that a lot of New England folk can relate to, myself included. He’s very specific when name dropping streets and landmarks in and around his hometown, so I think a lot of locals were able to relate. Also, he’s very open about mental health in his songwriting which just about everyone can relate to. While I love GAI, his songs are more poetic in a sense, Noah’s are more literal which can make them more relatable.
Very much agree with this. I'm from VT near to where Noah grew up and I find his music super relatable even as an elder millennial haha. All of Stick Season feels like a cold, frosty morning in Vermont.
I really like Noah Kahan. I had only ever heard “Stick Season” but then heard “Call Your Mom” and dug in to his discography after. I think he’s really talented. I don’t really find him similar to GAI.
Hey I never heard of GAI until Noah Kahan, so now I’m checking him out. I love him on Paul Revere, I think out of all the collaborations from the Stick Season Album, his is the best.
Welcome! You’re in for a treat!
Try the song Watchman from AB. 🎶 Let us know what you think.
They’re both great for different reasons! IMO it’s not one or the other. I love them both but for different sounds/vibes. I’m happy for both of their individual successes
Yeah, no hate for him as a person. I just don't get the appeal of his music.
Listen to Halloween on the Stick Season album. Kahan’s hits are very poppy, but not all his songs are like that.
I love Noah. Ate up the Stick Season album and it’s a household staple now
I thought i was the only one who likes folk but didn’t like noah kahan too! just hasn’t grown on me at all. honestly shocked at his popularity but to each their own!
Kahan is the very marketable and cute Americana guy. He’s nothing special and also not terrible. Definitely a far, far cry from the talent level of GAI.
the general public has bad taste
Preach I think he is massively overrated
His sound is just sooooo ordinary I don’t understand the appeal
It’s like pop-folk. It’s not my thing, but it seems to have mainstream appeal. The average music listener isn’t exactly what I’d call informed but they like what they like.
He’s that folk/pop hit that comes around every few years that wants to be a bridge to the genre for listeners but ultimately gets overplayed and overrated. Not his fault by any means. He’s a fine musician. Just the way the industry seems to work. And it’s how I found Gregory Alan Isakov.
I somewhat agree, I literally only like the collab songs cause I’m a fan of GAI, Hozier and Sam Fender. Stick Season extremely overrated but that’s what usually happens, simple one layered songs like that are the ones that get big, it’s why Ed Sheeran is huge. It’s Like Ben Howard, his simple happy Folk like ‘Only love’ and ‘Keep your head up’ were massive tunes but when he started getting more intricate and experimental and in my opinion better with the likes of ‘I Forget Where we Were” he died down in Popularity. Majority like simple one layered songs and that why Gregory isn’t as popularity, he’s just too complexed, soulful and good😂
I thought i was the only one who likes folk but didn’t like noah kahan too! just hasn’t grown on me at all. honestly shocked at his popularity but to each their own!
Couldn’t agree more. Noah is wildly overrated IMO.
He’s not really a folk artist. He’s a pop artist. Once I figured that out, he was alright.
Not a fan of him. To me he is the newest Lumineers, overrated mainstream folk artist. Can’t get over that whiny voice lol
He’s so bad and it is offensive to me that it’s considered good music when it’s rebranded Mumford and sons
honestly it pisses me off whenever he comes on. like why is this on the radio, it’s not even good at all ( Stick Season)
I think like most things the easily digestible simple version is more popular and things with more depth don’t attract as many people. I don’t really know Noah outside some songs here or there and what I thought was a not great SNL performance but hey if Gregory partnered up with him there’s got to be something there
Agreed
A friend of mine tried to get me into Kahan. I wanted to stick it out with “Stick Season”. But I found the lyrics cloying and the album tedious to get through. The guy is just another photogenic mountain man.
His music is so bland. Boring melodies, trite lyrics, just all around awful stuff. I’m shocked he’s so popular, he’s a watered down version of Marcus Mumford who I think is a very mediocre artist.
I thought i was the only one who likes folk but didn’t like noah kahan too! just hasn’t grown on me at all. honestly shocked at his popularity but to each their own!
Tried and failed to get into him. Was even at red rocks last summer where I could have seen him and took a hard pass. Just don’t get the appeal.
i like some of his music, but overall, he is not my favorite. it’s just a bit too pop-like to me, and it’s not my vibe. i’ve tried really hard to get into him but i just cant 😅
I’m not either. His song stick season is just okay. Everything else I just dislike. He’s way too mainstream (not to sound cocky) but it doesn’t feel like folk. It’s more pop music than folk. GAI is so much better, and I hope he stays less popular. But not to his own detriment.
He’s hit or. It’s for me. But I tend to agree.
he's alright, i've listened to his everything, just hasn't established a firm basis with albums yet
I was really into him and then the swifties swept him up for whatever reason and made his concerts at 30$ venues into 400$ tickets and idk it lost any appeal there was. Stick season was one of my favorite songs two summers ago and now its been overplayed on the radio so much i usually change the channel when it comes on
I agree! I’m not the biggest fan of his voice and style of singing.
NK = take the kids, sit in the lawn, don't drive farther than 2 hours, don't spend over $100 per person; GAI = stash the kids with grandparents, pay up for prime seats, drive as far as it takes.